Back To Basics
by DramaQueen1133
Summary: Back To Nursery sequel. As the Doctor and Rose settle into their human life in the other universe, they decide to start a family. But first they have to take a step back and look at their relationship. And they may not like what they see...
1. Prologue

**This is the epilogue to Back To Nursery, and I thought it best to start the story off with this. As i would make more sense to those who haven't read it before. xxx**

The Doctor drummed his fingers on the wooden table, glancing at the food on the counter longingly. Every now and then, Rose would stop chopping tomatoes and turn around to watch him. Each time the Doctor would jerk his head back the other way, acting as if he wasn't looking.

"Doctor, the more you watch me, the longer I'm gonna take." She called firmly over her shoulder, smiling when she heard him sigh.

"I don't even know why we need salad Rose. It's just leaves!" He cried out, looking towards the pork chops on the other side of the kitchen.

"It's lettuce."

"It's just lettuce!" Rose laughed and dropped said lettuce into the bowl.

"Well, we need to be healthy Doctor." A crash sounded behind her, and Rose whirled around to see the Doctor on the floor. She started towards him, concern on her face. However she stopped, when she realised he had thrown himself off of the chair, and was currently on his back, clutching his stomach over theatrically.

"You're trying to kill me. I know it. I'm so hungry right now. I need the food." He moaned, and Rose cocked her head to one side, considering him. Their eyes met, and he offered her a smile.

"You have the mentality of a five year old you do. Who needs kids when you've got a Time Lord." Rose muttered the last part to herself.

"Rose." He moaned, and drew out the word to last at least ten seconds. Rose laughed despite herself, and turned back towards the tomatoes.

"Let me finish cutting these, and then we can eat."

"Brilliant." The Doctor's voice came from behind her now. Directly behind her. And all she could feel on the back of her neck, was his breath as he watched her cut. She shuddered every time he breathed out, losing focus so much that the knife she was chopping with slipped, slicing her finger. Rose cried out as a sharp pain sped through her finger, and blood spilled onto the side. A flurry of movement found the Doctor sitting her on a chair, and grabbing a towel from the counter.

"Oh, Rose. You have to be more careful." He muttered, inspecting the cut.

"It was your fault! You were distracting me!" She cried out in indignation. The Doctor looked up, eyebrow raised.

"How was I distracting you?"

"You were doing that thing you do." Rose waved it off blushing slightly. The Doctor leant in to inspect the flood of colour.

"What thing?"

"You know that thing you do…breathing." The Doctor stayed still, looking at her steadily, till a grin broke out on his face.

"Of all the creatures I have ever met, I do believe that you are the strangest Rose Tyler." Rose smiled as he rolled her name over his tongue.

"How's it looking Doc?" She winced as he removed the towel.

"Well, I think you'll live. No sonic screwdriver anymore. I can't just heal it up like before."

"What about the one you made? You know, from the parts that I snuck out of Torchwood for you?" Rose sat up straighter, annoyed.

"I didn't ask you to bring them to me!" The Doctor frowned and Rose laughed.

"O.k. But the hints you were dropping were actually killing me. Rose, do you think that there would be any zucilini metal in the Torchwood vaults? Oh, I dunno, why Doctor? Oh, no reason. If only I could get some then I could build a new screwdriver. That ring a bell?" The Doctor spluttered for a moment, searching for words.

"Number one, I do not sound like that! And number two, I still didn't actually ask you." Rose looked at him as he wiped away any excess blood.

"You could've just gotten it yourself you know. I've told you Torchwood isn't so bad." She whispered. She thought that the Doctor had ignored her, before he muttered quietly.

"I'm grateful, Rose. I'm grateful that they helped you with the cannon. But can you honestly tell me, if there was no personal gain in it for them…they would have helped you, let you do it?" They remained staring at each other, until the Doctor smiled softly.

"Beside, I've got papers to mark Rose. I never realised how many people actually took my class till I had to grade them all. There's a lot….right. I think that a plaster will suffice for the time being." Rose watched him pat down his pocket, before pulling out a roll of plasters. He tore one off, and stuck it over her cut. Rose made to pull her hand away, but smiled as the Doctor leant down to kiss the plaster.

"Always got to kiss it better." The Doctor smiled, but it faded as he saw Rose sitting stock still.

"Rose, what is it?" He grasped her hand, squeezing it.

"Nothing….I just…I just got a really, really strong sense of déjà vu." She said softly. The Doctor beamed at her, remembering kissing her cut better when she was in nursery.

"It's funny that, isn't it?" He patted her knee and stood up, grabbing the two plates loaded with the dinner. He stopped as he looked to the picture of the two of them hanging on the wall....something about it, just didn't seem quite right.

"Rose?"

"Yeah." Came the answering reply.

"How do you feel about having children?" The Doctor smiled at the resulting thud, that told him Rose had fallen from her chair.


	2. Need

**A/N:Yay. Sequel lol. Well, I hope you all like it, and if you do all like it, I can have the next chapter up by Friday. Perhaps Wednesday. But anyways, enjoy! xxx**

Rose stared her hair in the mirror, curling strands absentmindedly with the hot rod.

"What's wrong?" She smiled as the Doctor's voice reached her, and he kissed the side of her neck.

"Nothing. I'm just thinking of going back to my natural colour." She cocked her head to the side idly, and the Doctor took the still warm strands of hair between his fingers.

"I like the blonde. Blonde is good." He rested his chin upon the top of Rose's head, looking at their reflection.

"I dunno. I'll think about it." Rose sighed, and leaned forwards to get her mascara brush. In the mirror, she could see the Doctor biting his lip. Looking as if he wanted to say something, and was trying to find the courage.

"Doctor, what's wrong?" He met her eyes in the mirror, before dropping his back to the floor again.

"Rose…I was just wondering…have you thought a bit more about what I said last night?" The Doctor said softly. Rose put the brush back into it's tube, and turned to face him.

"What thing did you say?" The confusion worked it's way into her eyes, nervousness into the Doctor's own.

"You know…about children." Rose frowned, and turned back to the mirror. She was silent for a few minutes, the Doctor lingering behind her.

"I dunno Doctor." She said softly, and leant forwards to reapply her eyeliner. The Doctor stared at her in the mirror, surprised at her.

"That's it? I dunno?" The Doctor frowned, and Rose sighed, turning towards him.

"Doctor, our lifestyle doesn't exactly scream children does it? Torchwood isn't-"

"No, Rose. Your lifestyle doesn't allow children. Torchwood is dangerous, and you know I don't want you working there." Rose set her make up down, and rubbed her forehead.

"Doctor, we've had this conversation time and time again. I like working for them! You like teaching at the university. If you don't wanna work for Torchwood, fine. But don't try and stop me." The Doctor stepped back, recognising his loss in the argument.

"So that's it? Discussion closed?" He looked to her beseechingly, and Rose stepped forwards, encasing him in a hug. They stood in silence for a few moments, the Doctor trying to process what Rose had said. She clutched him tightly to her, breathing in the slightly musky smell he carried.

"Doctor…I don't know about children. I mean, I'm still young. And so are you. We've got so much to do still! I don't wanna have to waddle down the aisle, do I?" The Doctor smiled as he pictured it, and Rose grinned back, pleased to see he wasn't angry at her.

"I love you Doctor. You know that." Rose looked up into his chocolate eyes, pleading silently with him to understand.

"I love you to Rose." He said quietly, and she shuddered slightly. She still had not gotten used to the soft declaration. The Doctor reached down and brought Rose's left hand to his lips, gazing at the ring on her finger. The blue stone glittered as the light hit it, the reflection sparkling in Rose's eyes.

"I don't know. I think you could make waddling look good." Rose laughed and took her hand away, reaching up to press a quick kiss to his lips. She turned back to the wooden vanity table, and straightened her clothes. The Doctor slipped his hands to her hips.

"I want you to think about it though Rose. Not children, although I would like you to. But about finishing with Torchwood. For good." Rose looked at his reflection, a frown settling upon her face.

"Doctor, if I finish with it, where else am I gonna work?" She sighed, and the Doctor's eyes lit up.

"Rose, you could come and work in the university with me. I've been needing an assistant. I'm sure they'd let you, I mean you got your degree in History. You're more than qualified!" Rose couldn't help but giggle as the Doctor worked himself up into a frenzy. Clearly over excited by the prospect of working with her.

"Doctor, teaching a bunch of kids isn't exactly my ideal job you know." She said through her laughter.

"But they're not kids! They're 19, 20 years old. The same age you were when we first met." Rose smiled at the memory before shaking her head.

"Doctor, you know half the girls in the class have crushes on you. Why would I wanna stand there and watch them make eyes at you?" The Doctor stared at her.

"Rose, I'm sure you wouldn't have to stand and watch them. You could sit if you wanted." Rose twisted round to slap his arm when he laughed.

"Besides, having my fiancé there is most likely gonna put them off." Rose rolled her eyes, and slipped out of his grasp.

"Doctor. I like my job. I'm good at my job, so can we leave it at that?" The Doctor bit his lip.

"Just please tell me that you'll think about it. We said we wanted the whole human experience. I don't think that you going out to fight aliens everyday hardly qualifies for that." He stared her down as she looked up at him, chin tilted up in defiance.

"Fine. I'll think about it. No promises!" Rose pointed a finger at him, and he kissed it quickly.

"Thank you…and that thing about…having a baby, Rose." The Doctor was silent, and a small understanding passed between them.

"Yeah. I'll think about that to." He smiled at her whispered words, leaning forwards to kiss her lips softly. Rose's watch started to beep, breaking any mood that had begun. She sighed and leant her forehead against his.

"Can we pause this, play it again when we get home?" The Doctor chuckled as he pulled away, grabbing their coats.

"That I can promise." Rose took her coat from him with a quick thank you, and pulled open the front door. Following her, the Doctor paused in front of the spare room, looking into it. It was still filled with boxes that had yet to be unpacked, and had been there for several months. As he looked into the white room, he couldn't help but imagine a cot in the corner. The boxes gone of course, and the room a light blue or pink. Or perhaps yellow. His single heart leapt at the thought.

"Doctor?" Rose stuck her head around the door, frowning.

"Sorry, get in the car, I'm coming." She flashed him a quick smile before her head disappeared outside again. The Doctor frowned at the sudden image in his mind. What had started off as a small idea, a notion…was manifesting itself into an overwhelming need.

**A/N: So, do you love it, hate it? Lol. Anyways, please leave a review, and let me know what you think.**


	3. Resigned

**Well, if you guys like this, then I can get the next chapter up tonight. So just let me know, well...enjoy xxx**

The Doctor pulled into the car park, around the corner from Torchwood. He eyed the glass building with something akin to contempt and sighed.

"Be careful Rose." He said softly as she pulled her bag onto her shoulder.

"Doctor, it's fine. It's just a routine search mission." Rose assured him, and leant across to kiss him gently.

"If it was safe, they wouldn't make you take guns." The Doctor muttered under his breath, and Rose sat back in her seat.

"Are we gonna have this conversation every week?" The Doctor turned off the engine, and twisted his body around to face her.

"If that's what it takes, then yes." They both stared at each other for a while, the Doctor's chocolate eyes wide and pleading.

"Look….if you feel that strongly Doctor…I'll seriously consider it." Rose whispered, resigned. He grinned and kissed her cheek, and she couldn't help but smile back.

"O.k. Now go away. You'll be late." Rose laughed and shoved him as she swung her legs out of the car.

"I'll meet you here after class." He called to her, and smiled to himself as he watched her blow him a kiss and walk away.

.....................................................................

The Doctor sat at his desk, grading each paper in turn. He grinned as he saw everyone had achieved at least an A. It was strange, as you wouldn't think that if you watched his lessons. He spoke to them as a friend rather than a student, and insisted they called him John. Many of the other teachers didn't approve, but the Doctor didn't think it mattered so long as his class were getting the grades. He glanced up at his class, and sighed as he saw most of them were out of their seats, talking. The one thing he would say, is that they got through the work fine, but then felt the need to do whatever they wanted.

"You all finished then?" He raised his voice, and watched as fourteen faces turned around guiltily. They all nodded, and the Doctor thought for a moment.

"All right. But if someone comes in, at least look like you're doing something productive." Sighing, he turned his attention back to the papers.

"John?" Looking up, the Doctor saw Delilah standing before him, smiling demurely.

"Delilah, what is it?" He took off his glasses and gestured to the seat in front of him. She flicked her red hair from her face, and the Doctor eyed it rather jealously.

"Nothing much. Just wanted to have a chat, you know, there's half the lesson to go still." The Doctor sat up surprised.

"Why do you want to talk to me? You're pretty popular, lots of friends. I won't be able to keep up with half of the things you young people say." He laughed and Delilah fixed her jade coloured eyes upon him.

"I like talking to you. You're insightful….and I don't think you're old." Smiling, she shuffled her chair forwards. The Doctor froze for a moment. He insisted on a good relationship with his class, but this was crossing over the lines a bit.

"Okay." He said slowly, leaning back into his chair. Delilah flashed him a smile, and glanced at the photo of him and Rose on his desk.

"She's very pretty." The Doctor frowned slightly at the hard tone of her voice.

"Yeah. She's pretty, she's just amazing."

"I read in the papers that you two were, you know, breaking up. The wedding was being called off and everything." Delilah raised her eyebrows as the Doctor burst into laughter.

"I thought I told you kids not to read anything about me and Rose. You know half of what they say is absolute rubbish. She's been pregnant at least twelve times according to the papers." The Doctor faltered slightly at the word pregnant, remembering his discussion with Rose earlier. Delilah sighed and leant forwards.

"I really wish that you wouldn't think of me as just a kid John." Her soft voice put the Doctor on edge, he was entirely to aware of the dangerous territory he was getting into.

"You're 19-"

"Only a few years younger than Rose." All of a sudden, a shrill beep sounded from the Doctor's pocket. He jumped up and grabbed his phone, grateful for the distraction.

"Doctor? You need to come to the hospital quick." The Doctor's single heart started to thud as he heard Jake's frantic voice, his stomach dropping.

"What is it?" He closed his eyes, praying.

"Rose has been hurt."

.............................................................

The Doctor raced through the hospital doors with Jake, straight to Rose's room. He crashed through the door, stopping when he saw Rose. She was sitting up in her bed, a thick medical plaster on her forehead, and stitches across her left arm. He gently pulled her into his arms, closing his eyes at the bombardment of emotions inside him.

"What the hell happened?" Whispering into her hair, the Doctor dropped kisses onto her forehead.

"It's nothing Doctor-"

"Nothing!?" His voice sounded strained, and Rose leant back into the bed.

"It was my own fault Doctor. I just fell down the mine shaft, I wasn't looking for aliens. Just going after some illegal weaponry. It's not a big deal." The Doctor bit his lip at her nonchalant attitude.

"Rose, this is it, you are not working at Torchwood anymore." Rose sat up in her bed, glaring at him.

"Doctor, I said I would consider it. You can't control my life!" The Doctor ran a hand over his face, and knelt down beside her.

" I'm not trying to control you Rose. I love you. I hate seeing you hurt. Please, come and work with me. Please Rose." Kissing her hands, he begged her silently, and he could see Rose start to falter.

"I love you to Doctor. But, I just…I don't know." The Doctor got up onto her bed with her, draping his arm across her shoulders. He took her left hand, being careful with her arm, and fiddled with the ring on finger.

"I don't want to have to marry you while you're in a full body cast Rose." Rose looked up at the despair in his eyes, resigning herself.

"I'll take a leave of absence. Try out this job you've got to offer me. Temporarily though." The Doctor whipped his head around, not daring to believe that he had heard her right.

"You mean it?""Yes….if we're gonna start a family, I can't afford to keep having accidents." Rose smiled as the realisation dawned on his face.

"You mean…you want a….you know-"

"A baby, yes." She laughed as he did a rather comical double take. A forceful kiss from him sent a shiver down her spine.

"And as soon as you're well again, we can start trying." One look at the want in the Doctor's eyes, sent Rose returning the kiss with double the force.

**Well, there we are. Hope you like!...Just a bit of a hint, you may want to watch out for Delilah in future...lol. Well, let me know if you liked it or not. xxx**


	4. Assistants

**A short chapter just to fill it out.**

One week later, Rose insisted that she start work. The gash on her arm was healing up nicely, and the graze on her head was almost completely gone. The Doctor had no choice but to let her. As the car pulled into the parking lot, Rose felt dwarfed by the unfamiliar marble archway. Through the arches was the actual building, it's roof made of domed glass.

"Have you told the class I'm coming Doctor?" He turned off the engine and gripped her hand.

"Why are you so nervous?" Rose fuddled with the hem of her skirt, trying to find the words to explain.

"It's just a change really isn't it? My old job, I knew how to do it. Finding aliens is what I know…that's a big difference to teaching." She said softly, ignoring the glances a few of the students were giving her.

"Rose…I think if you can go from folding clothes to travelling the universe…then you can go from fighting aliens to teaching." Despite herself, Rose laughed at the Doctor's shoddy attempt to cheer her up.

"You'll be fine. I promise." Giving her a reassuring smile, the Doctor got out of the car. Rose hesitated slightly before opening her own door. The students had mostly stopped now, not even bothering to hide the looks they were giving. The Vitex heiress was standing in their car park. Rose gave a shaky sigh and grabbed the Doctor's hand, smiling as he squeezed it. She walked stiffly past the students and sighed with relief as they reached his office.

"That…was awkward." Rose took a seat in the Doctor's chair, spinning it around as she sat. The Doctor smiled at her childish antics, and sat on his desk.

"It'll get better. They're not used to having a celebrity here." He chuckled as Rose slapped his arm.

"I hate it when you call me that." The Doctor stuck his tongue out and Rose groaned theatrically.

"You're an idiot you know." A knock at the door stopped the Doctor from replying.

"You answer that. I'm using your bathroom." Rose kissed his cheek as she left his side. When the door closed, he leapt from the desk and pulled the office door open. In front of him stood Delilah, a grin across her face. The Doctor stepped back in surprise.

"Delilah, this is a surprise. What's wrong?" She threw her arms around his neck, giggling. The Doctor stood awkwardly as she let go, and walked past him to seat herself on the desk.

"You will never believe what the university just offered me!" The Doctor looked from the bathroom door to Delilah, and mentally sighed.

"Do tell."

"They want to hire me! As a history professor. Like you!" Delilah laughed happily, and the Doctor frowned.

"You haven't even graduated yet." He said incredulously.

"Well, this is the thing! They're letting me graduate early. And they're giving me the degree, with honours." The Doctor sat down in his chair, exhaling.

"That is pretty big news." He said, finding it hard to lower his eyebrows in his surprise.

"This is all because of you John. If you hadn't been my teacher, I don't know where I'd be."

"In another class probably." The Doctor smiled, and glanced again to the bathroom door. Delilah edged forwards and grinned at him.

"The best news is, they want me to start as your assistant. Today, for experience." The Doctor stood at that, rubbing the back of his neck.

"See, that's a problem." On cue, Rose appeared from the bathroom, staring at Delilah.

"Doctor, who's this?" She smiled, noting with some disdain, their close proximity.

"This is a student of mine, Delilah-"

"Well, I'm his assistant now." She hopped from the desk, straightening her dress as she did so. Rose looked from the two, mouth open slightly.

"I thought I was-"

"You are! I was just gonna explain to Delilah. I've got an assistant Delilah. I'm sorry, but maybe you could go with one of the other history professors…?" He trailed off, uncomfortable with the two women's eyes on her. Delilah frowned softly.

"You can have two assistants can't you?"

**As I said, a short chapter to fill it in a bit. I could update tomorrow if you guys like. But please review anyway, to tell me what you thought. xxx**


	5. Jealousy

****

O.k, I know the amount of time I've left this story is almost shameful lol. I got a sudden spark of inspiration for it today, so I grabbed the moment to write a bit more. Hope you like it (and hope you forgive me lol)

* * *

The Doctor looked at the two women bearing down on him, unsure of what to say.

"Doctor?" Rose prompted. She watched as Delilah kept her eyes locked onto him, she was watching him like a bloody hawk, Rose huffed.

"I…uh…I don't see why not-"

"Yes! Thank you, John!" Delilah wrapped her long arms around his neck, squeezing him into a joyful embrace. The Doctor laughed and returned her hug a little less enthusiastically.

"O.k, I'm gonna get started on a lesson plan. This is going to be amazing!" She squealed and left his office in a flurry of scarlet hair. The Doctor sat still, looking completely ruffled and baffled as the door closed.

"You gonna explain that to me?" Rose folded her arms, trying not to seem to bothered by it. Almost in slow motion, he flattened his hair and stood from the chair. Sorting some papers on the desk, he spoke with clear amusement.

"She…uh…I'm not surprised the university is graduating her early. She's one of the brightest girls I have met in a very long time." Rose furrowed her brow, confused as ever.

"So she's bright, whatever, I thought I was your assistant?" She was slightly hurt at the comment. She knew that she wasn't as smart as the Doctor, sometimes she could hardly keep up with him. Of course she was as intelligent on him at an emotional level, but sometimes people would come along that he could truly connect minds with. And as much as she hated herself for it, she got jealous.

"You are. But the university wants her to start training with me. She's like…my sub-assistant." He sighed as Rose still looked unsure.

"Look…" The Doctor uncrossed her arms and wrapped them around his waist.

"I know she can be a bit overbearing, but she really is a nice girl. I'm positive that you'll get to like her. She's only a few years younger than you, you never know. You could become great friends. Shopping buddies? That kind of thing? Yeah?" Rose raised an eyebrow at him.

"Shopping buddies?"

"Shopping buddies." He repeated, a silly grin working it's way across his face. Rose studied him for a moment. He was always so clueless when it came to issues like this. His body may be human but his mind was as alien as ever.

"Fine…but…you know, I thought this could be a fun thing for us to do. Together. Without crazy red heads in the way." The Doctor looked at her, mirth scrawled across his face.

"She's not crazy, Rose-"

"Doctor, she was watching you like a hawk! Seriously, I'm gonna check under the bed tonight to make sure she's not hiding there." The Doctor threw back his head and laughed…and when he did things like that, Rose found that she couldn't possibly stay mad at him.

* * *

"Right, class. I have two new surprises for you today." The Doctor sat on top of his desk as thirteen faces looked up in interest.

He felt a bit nostalgic, Delilah's class had finished their course now. They only had to come back to do their exam, but he wouldn't be teaching them. Now he had thirteen new people to teach. They had had around three lessons together, and they were warming to each other."The university has designated a girl from the class I used to take to teach history at this very university. So, she's going to be joining our class for the foreseeable future as her training." He turned and beckoned to Delilah to come forwards.

"This is Delilah everyone, I'm sure you'll make her feel very welcome." She practically bounced to the front of the class, beaming at everyone and giving a little wave. The Doctor fought hard not to laugh, she was always a very bubbly girl.

"Right, second surprise. You all know now that Delilah is going to assist around the class, but only for a temporary basis. So I've decided to have a permanent helper. And coincidentally, she happens to be my fiancé." A few murmurs rippled around the room as Rose stepped forwards. She wrung her hands awkwardly, looking to the Doctor for help. He flashed her a grin, and she returned it nervously.

"So, any questions?" The Doctor turned to the class and raised his eyebrows as a flurry of hands fought to be seen.

"Right…Melissa?" The brunette in question leaned forwards with eyes wide.

"Are you…Rose Tyler? Vitex heiress? Pete Tyler's daughter?" Rose bit her lip.

"Uh…yeah, that's me." A small breathy laugh escaped her as it felt like everyone gazed at her.

"Hang on…" A girl next to Melissa rooted through her bag before producing a glossy magazine. Flicking through it, she grinned triumphantly as she found the right page and held it out.

"_This _is you?" Rose took the magazine and rolled her eyes at the headline.

_**Tyler Wedding Called Off?**_

She frowned as she handed the magazine to the Doctor, watching as he read it in two seconds flat. A picture of Rose was splashed across one page, on the opposite side was a close up of hand without her engagement ring. Rose hated stories like this. She never knew why, but it got to her. The relationship she had with the Doctor was something that she always believed in. It almost angered her that people would puurposely try and poke holes in it. The Doctor however, just thought it was a mild nuisance, nothing to worry about. It was one of the few things they disagreed upon.

"Is it true?" The girls in the class eyed her and the Doctor.

"No, of course it's not true." The Doctor scoffed, flinging the magazine back to the girls.

"I've told you not to read that stuff. Anyway, let's get down to business!"

* * *

Lunch came quickly. And Rose couldn't be more thankful. The lesson had been excruciatingly painful. She could barely stand to watch the girls in the class ogle at the Doctor every minute, but it was Delilah that really took the cake. Every five minutes she had an excuse to stand beside him and flirt and giggle herself silly. Whether it be to read something interesting or to ask a question that Rose knew she already knew the answer to. And the Doctor was no better. He was enjoying it as far as she was concerned. Rose supposed his human side revelled in the blatant attraction that Delilah had for him. That or he was oblivious to it. She sincerely hoped it was the latter.

She sat on the opposite side of the table from the two of them at lunch. Not even eating, just picking up bits of bread and pastry before flinging it back on her plate. Never taking her eyes off the two of them. The Doctor and Delilah were in deep conversation with each other, discussing possible conspiracy theories regarding some President's murder. Every so often, they would laugh loudly, and Rose's stomach would churn. After another ten minutes of them showing no signs of stopping, she stood from the table and left to empty her tray.

"Rose? What's wrong?" The Doctor stood, watching her as she hastily threw the rest of the food into the bin.

"Nothing, Doctor. I think I'm just gonna head home." At that, the Doctor hurried to her side, brow creased in worry.

"What? What's wrong?" Rose closed her eyes and looked away.

"Nothing, Doctor. I just…I'm feeling really ill." And that was no lie, she really did. The churning that she thought had been jealousy had probably been the beginning of a virus.

"Oh, Rose…You want me to come with you? I can get another teacher to cover for me-"

"No. It's fine."

"…If you're sure, Rose…" She gave him a feeble smile. He gave her one back, then kissed her softly on her lips.

"O.k. Well, I'll see you at home. I'll bring you some soup?" Rose nodded and hugged him softly.

"See you at home." Over his shoulder, Rose watched Delilah listening with interest.

"You love me right?" She whispered into his shoulder. The Doctor frowned and looked at her.

"Of course I do, Rose. You know I love you." Behind him, Delilah's head dropped back to look at her plate.

* * *

**Once again, sorry for the lack of updating. But I do hope you liked. Tell me what you thought! xx**


	6. Problems

**I am terribly sorry for the amount of time it has taken me to update anything lately. I've been studying like mad. Well, I hope you do enjoy. xx**

* * *

Rose tapped her fingers in agitation as she drove home. The Doctor had told her to take the car back home and he would just grab a cab when he finished work. The nausea in her stomach told her not to argue. She was being irrational about this whole thing and she knew it. He loved her. He loved her dearly and that was sometimes the only thing that she was certain of in the world. The thought that one girl could come between them would have seemed ridiculous to her when she was travelling in that blue box in another universe. But living this human existence, she was all too aware that these things happened. Men got bored with their wives and ran off with younger women. Rose shuddered at the thought. Even though she was sure that the Doctor would never do that to her, it didn't stop her from worrying about it.

Almost as soon as Rose set foot in their home, she found herself resting her forehead against the cool porcelain of the bathtub. Just waiting for another wave of sickness to send her propelling towards the toilet. She didn't feel so sick anymore and she didn't feel like she had been taken with an illness. But every few minutes a sense of overwhelming sickness would sweep over her, sending her retching. The phone ringing from the living room reached her ears. With a groan Rose stood, her body feeling achy and tired. She was fatigued beyond belief.

"Hello?" She said meekly, sinking down into the soft chair. Her mother's voice started prattling on at a mile a minute, and Rose internally groaned. She didn't need this right now.

"You listening, Rose?" Jackie questioned suspiciously, and Rose jumped at the direct question.

"What? Yeah, course I am." It was a weak lie even to her own ears.

"Sweetheart, are you alright?" Rose rubbed her fingers against her forehead, letting out a tired sigh.

"Yeah…I just, I think I need to go to a Doctor."

"Are you sick? Love, what's wrong?" Jackie's voice wasn't exactly melodious to her ears, and Rose recoiled slightly from the receiver.

"Nothing much. I just keep getting these…flashes of sickness. And I feel tired. It's probably just a virus." There was a long pause on the other end of the phone.

"You have any other symptoms, Rose?" She thought for a moment and lay back on the sofa.

"No. Not really. No headaches or anything. I don't think I'm running a temperature either." There was another long pause, during which Rose checked the connection just to make sure Jackie was still on the line. It was unusual for her mother to remain silent for so long.

"Rose….I think…I just think I know what's wrong with you." Her voice held barely contained excitement, and Rose frowned down at the phone.

"Mum, what are you talking about?" She wasn't in the mood for any games or riddles.

"Is it a possibility, Rose…that you may be pregnant?" The excitement bubbled over in her voice, and Rose could just see her mother beaming as she said it. Her heart skipped a beat as she sat bolt upright.

"No." She said without hesitation.

"…Rose, it is a possibility. And it sounds like you're having the same symptoms I had when I was pregnant with you-"

"No. It's just not a possibility. Me and the Doctor…we're…we're _careful, _mum." She said delicately, not really willing to broach the subject with her mother.

"So were me and your dad." Jackie retorted back, and Rose's eyes widened. Could it be a possibility? She supposed there was a slim chance. But…she wasn't ready. She was young…and the Doctor and her…they weren't in the right place for that. He had said they would try but she had thought she had more time than this. Much more time.

"No…I…I can't be." Rose whispered, more to herself than her mother.

"Sweetheart? Is it…is it a bad thing for you? Do you not want a baby?" Rose stood up and pressed a palm to her forehead, her eyes starting to sting.

"No, it's not…it's not that I don't want to, mum! It's too soon, it's…I can't-"

"Rose, before you get yourself worked up, just take a test. No point making plans for something you're not sure of." Jackie quickly cut in, her excitement and enthusiasm dying as she heard Rose's voice clog with emotion.

"Yeah…Uh, look, mum, I'll call you back. I have to go now. Ill call you later." Without waiting for her mother's reply, she stood and started pacing the living room. She couldn't be pregnant. She couldn't be. She wasn't ready.

* * *

The Doctor's hand was aching with the effort of grading the rest of the exam papers. It was a tedious part of the job. Looking for the same answers and grading it so systematically was rather boring. It was one part of the job that the Doctor actually didn't like. But thankfully, Delilah had volunteered to help grade the papers, so at least his work load was halved.

His eyes flickered up to her once or twice, just to make sure that she was getting on alright. She sat on one of the students desks, the papers in her lap and one leg swinging idly. Her red hair cascaded like a curtain, hiding her face from view. The only sounds coming form her were the sounds of the pen sweeping across the page and the delicate humming from her throat.

"Yes, John?" Delilah's voice startled him out of his daydream. He looked up again to see her setting the last of her pile down.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. Don't worry about it." The Doctor smiled to her and diverted his attention back to the papers on his desk.

"You were staring at me, John, why?" He sighed and looked up, a small furrow in his brow as she slid off the desk and walked idly over to his.

"I…If you want to be honest I was admiring your hair. Or the colour of it to be precise. Always wanted ginger hair…seems it wasn't meant to be. Not in this body anyway."

"You do make me laugh when you go off on one like that, John." Delilah laughed and flicked that flaming waterfall over her shoulder. The Doctor eyed it for a moment more with barely disguised envy before once more looking at the paper he was almost finished with.

"How's Rose doing?"

"She's fine. Just felt a little ill." The Doctor said distractedly as he moved onto the last paper. Delilah hummed her acknowledgement before bringing a chair to sit beside him.

"I'll keep you company until you finish that then. I'd feel bad leaving you to it." The Doctor offered her a brief smile as he scanned the page for the key terminology he expected to see.

"It'll only take me a minute."

"Then it'll be especially rude if I just walk off now." Delilah countered, and the Doctor inwardly laughed at her sharp tongue. She wasn't so bad really, once you got used to her. True to his word, grading the last paper took less than a minute, and he placed it on top of the stack.

"Well…I'll see you tomorrow then, Delilah." The Doctor said as he made to stand up. He pulled his coat on, anxious to get home to Rose and see how she was doing.

"John, can I ask you something quickly?" Delilah stood and tucked her chair in. He paused in his motions and waited for her to continue.

"You like me, right?" The Doctor hesitated for a moment.

"Well, you're a lovely girl. Of course I like you." That was apparently what she wanted to hear, as she smiled to herself and walked towards him, stopping almost immediately in front of him. The Doctor's eyes widened as her emerald ones found his.

"I feel like…like I can connect with you, John."

"Really? That's…-"

"I do. Truly. I really like you, John. A lot." She said meaningfully, and the Doctor swallowed.

"Delilah, I-"

"John…" The Doctor hopped back, suddenly feeling extremely uncomfortable being in such close quarters with her.

"Look, Delilah, I've got to go. Rose is at home, waiting for me. Terrible thing if I kept her waiting." He put extra emphasis on Rose's name, hoping to deter the conversation.

"Do you love her?" She queried, looking at the floor intently. The Doctor stopped and really looked at her. He felt rather bad for her.

"Yes. And I'm sorry, but if we're going to continue to work together, then we have to keep this strictly professional." Delilah sighed and offered her hand to him.

"I'm sorry John." He realised that the hand she offered was meant for a handshake. He hesitated only a moment before clasping her hand with his.

"It's fine. Let's just forget this ever-" The rest of his reply was muffled as her lips covered his. The Doctor was frozen with shock as Delilah kissed him softly, and he was unsure whether to just wait for her to finish or to push her away. In the end he resolved to do both. As he turned his head away he pushed her away as gently as he could.

"Delilah. Listen to me, we can't-"

"I know…That was…I just wanted to see what it felt like." She offered him a half smile. The Doctor looked down at her, still unsure of what to do.

"Well, look John. I'll see you tomorrow. And starting next lesson, we can be strictly professional…I'll see you later." She pulled on her coat, threw him a smile and left the room.

* * *

As the Doctor sat in the taxi, his thoughts seemed to be leaping over one another as they pushed for attention. He wasn't mad at Delilah and he wasn't mad at himself. He hadn't done anything and she had promised that nothing more would happen. But it was just the guilt. Especially when Rose was already insecure about the situation with the assistant jobs and especially with Delilah's presence.

"You alright mate, you've been rather quiet?" The cab driver looked back at him. The Doctor was sure he was just making polite conversation.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just got a lot of my mind, you know." The cab driver smiled at him in the mirror.

"Is it a girl?" The Doctor shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

"Sort of. Maybe. Well…"

"Problems with the missus?"

"Possibly." The Doctor said quietly, looking down at his converse. The cab driver looked at him once again in the mirror and noted his humble demeanour.

"You did something didn't you?" The Doctor's head snapped up, shocked at the man's bluntness.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to mate. It's not my business." They spent some time in silence, the Doctor looking out of the taxi window. After a while the taxi slowed to a halt outside of the place that the Doctor had come to call home.

"Here we are." The Doctor paid him, and just as he opened the door, the man called back to him.

"If I were you…I'd just tell her. No point keeping it quiet. She'd find out sooner or later."

* * *

The Doctor hesitated for a moment before stepping into the flat. He took the cab drivers words to heart. It was true…if he didn't tell her she'd find out from someone else and it would be ten times worse. He didn't even do anything. It's not like she could be mad at him. He hoped.

"Rose?" He called out as he shrugged off his coat, his heart sinking as he resolved to tell her.

"In the bedroom.". Quickly, he opened the door to the bedroom, giving her a smile as he spotted her sitting cross legged on the bed, twiddling her hands together.

"Rose…you feel alright now?" He crossed the room and sat on the bed opposite her, his heart hammering.

"Yeah…yeah, I feel…o.k. I suppose.I don't know...I've got something to tell you, Doctor-"

"Rose. Can I go first? Please? I've got something I need to tell you." He watched Rose sit back obediently as he worked up the courage to even open his mouth.

* * *

**Well, that was an extra long chapter for you. Hope you did like...and uh, tell me what you thought! xx**


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